


Dr. Destiny

by CharlesOberonn



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Magic, Necromancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-04 02:19:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10981314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharlesOberonn/pseuds/CharlesOberonn
Summary: Several years after a rogue necromancer known as the Enchantress raised an army of the dead that swarmed the world, the gifted Dr. Destiny is a Necromancer whose job is putting the dead back in the ground.





	1. (temporary)

“Is this the place?” Dr. Destiny asked, sidestepping the roots of a tree and navigating between several shattered tombstones.

The graveyard around them was a very desolate and ancient place. The woods around them carved a path past the cemetery walls and onto the burial grounds, with lone trees growing between the gravestones, which were themselves covered in moss and upturned by burrowing roots.

“Yep, this is it.” her current patient looked at one of the gravestones, it was surprisingly whole, though very time worn.

Dr. Destiny glanced at him, he was surprisingly cheerful for somebody staring at his own grave. You could tell he’s been undead for a very long time.

Her current patient was Gerard Clemens, a former skeleton soldier in the armies of the Enchantress, he was tired of unlife and wished to return to the other side after his summoner’s defeat.

That’s where Dr. Destiny came in. She was the reverse necromancer. Her job was putting undead corpses, zombies, ghouls, vampires, golems and everything else undead back in the ground.

Usually she just performed her surgeries, as she liked to call them, in her family’s old graveyard near her office. Most patients didn’t mind. But Gerald proved very difficult to work with. He had some unfinished business.

“Just so you know, you’re not making this is easy on me, Mr. Clemens.” she explained before moving to the grave next to Gerald’s empty one. The tombstone read Darius Clemens, 1553-1604. 

“I’m sorry, doctor. I just need to tie some loose ends before I go back.” he crouched over Darius’ grave. His cracked skeletal face looked downright silly in the jeans and t-shirt she gave him. “He told me he couldn’t stand to be a day without me. That bastard outlived me 20 years. What a dickhead.” he grabbed onto the tombstone with his skeletal fingers. “He kept the name too.”

“If you don’t mind.” Dr. Destiny gestured for him to stay back. She touched her hands to the cold ground, the full moon reflected onto her black-rimmed glasses as she began to chant. Her eyes sparkled neon green and her tattoos began to glow the same color as a wave of energy coursed through her arms and into the ground.

“Darius Clemens, I summon thee. Rise.” she walked back as the ground beneath them began to rumble. Soon, a skeletal hand popped out, and following was the rest of the body.

“Oh hey, is it time for another one of Carey’s halloween parties-” the skeletal man looked up. “Oh…” he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “Hey, Gerald.”

“Hey, ‘babe’.” Gerald stomped his foot and crossed his arms over his t-shirt.

“You look upset.” Darius crawled out of the dirt. “Is this about the ring? Because I didn’t pawn it, it was grave robbers, I promise.”

Gerald raised his arms, his voice sarcastic. “Not before Gildroy the butcher put his greasy fingers through it I’m sure!”

“Hey, leave him out of this!”

“Oh sorry, I wouldn’t want to get your new husband involved in our post-mortal drama. His soul is only bound to your for eternity.” Gerald spouted sarcastically.

Dr. Destiny raised an eyebrow as the two skeletons started what seemed like a lovers spat several centuries overdue.

“Hey, listen Gerald, you were dead.” Darius was defensive.

“For like a year!” Gerald’s bones clacked angrily. “You didn’t even wait til half-mourning to start cheating on me!”

“I was gonna get back to you once me, Gildroy and the kids all died!”

“Like I’d believe that! You’ve been ignoring my calls since the telephone was invented!”

Dr. Destiny sighed. She sat down on the roots of the ancient tree and stared at her phone, with the list of all the other patients she had to attend.

It was gonna be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

_A few years a ago, a Necromancer going by the name The Enchantress has raised an army of the dead and attempted to use it to take over the world._

_After her death, her army remained. No longer under her spell, the ghouls, zombies, skeletons, phantoms and ghosts started wandering the Earth aimlessly, looking for a purpose._

_Dr. Destiny, a graduate Necromancer, decided to take it upon herself to return as many of the undead as she can back to the other side where they came from, and grant them peace._

“You know, you’re why I got into this profession.” Dr. Destiny said to her current patient. She didn’t bother looking him in the eyes, since he didn’t have any. And even if he did, they would be covered by his helmet.

Her patient was currently standing well above her with his 2 meters tall stature. His rusty joints creaking as he tapped his fingers against the wooden doorframe, wind blowing through the many bullet holes in his body. Of course, he didn’t really have a body, seeing as he was just an empty suit of armour.

“I didn’t know that.” he spoke, and his voice echoed through the hollow metallic chambers and exited through the holes in the suits like whispers. His voice was like a ghostly recording of his voice when he was alive. It made nostalgic chills run up Dr. Destiny’s spine.

“Come, let’s go. I’d rather talk about it outside.” she got off her desk and exited through the door on the side of her office into the garden. The moving suit of armour followed her as fast as his broken steel frame allowed him. He had to duck in order to fit in the door.

It was a cold and cloudy day outside. The grey pallet, the little light, and the low temperature were the perfect conditions for a necromancer. The spirits of nature were low today, which meant little to no resistance to her unnatural magics.

Dr. Destiny walked slowly through her garden towards the graveyard in the far end of it, right next to the corner in the old stone wall. She stopped in her path and looked back at her patient. He walked slowly, struggling to make progress as each step seemed like an obstacle to him. Eventually he managed to reach her near the edge of the graveyard.

“You tried to bring me back.” he said, his voice seeming disinterested.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Why?”

“Because I loved you.”

“Huh.” he scratched his helmet out of habit. The metallic screeching sound was rather jarring, and made Dr. Destiny wince. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, it’s okay. I never got to tell you before the accident. That’s why I wanted to bring you back so badly.” Dr. Destiny answered, her voice seemed disinterested as well. She pulled out an old engraved key from her pocket and opened the silver gate to the graveyard.

“I’m sorry if I don’t sound as shocked as I should be. It’s this form.” he said as he once again ducked to pass through the gate, but Dr. Destiny gestured him to stop.

“Yeah, that’s the thing about Phantoms. Since you’re meant to possess a single inanimate object and have no human or spirit form, your mind immediately recedes inward, to prevent you from fully reacting to the horror you’re in.” she looked up at him. “Here, let me do this.”

With that, she put both hands on his helmet and slowly unhinged it until it popped off of his torso. She took a step back as the rest of the armour went stiff and then collapsed onto the ground. She opened the door and carried her patient’s head with her.

“I’m sorry I caused you all this pain.” her patient said with the same infliction, as though unperturbed by the fact that he just lost his head.

“Don’t be, dying wasn’t your fault.” she explained as she walked towards an empty plot in the graveyard.

“Of course it was, I was the one who decided to get in the car with a drunk driver. I didn’t think of what I was putting at risk, who I was neglecting with my decision.”

Dr. Destiny chuckled. “How long have you been rehearsing this line?”

“Since my death.” he chuckled in response. “I thought I already told it for the last time. My parents were the most shocked. Laura was just kinda pissed. My brothers thought I was trying to be funny. I never imagined I’d be saying it to my doctor, though.”

“Well, unlife can be funny sometimes.” Dr. Destiny said as she put him down on top the designated tombstone.

“How long have you been saying _this_  line?” her patient said, and made her laugh out loud, she almost dropped her runestones.

“Every single patient.”

“Did a patient give you this mansion?”

“Yeah, she did. How did you know?”

“You’re a smart gal, Destiny, but you don’t have the money to buy an old mansion by yourself.”

“Well, that’s rude.” she smiled. “There’s a lot of work for Necromancers out there nowadays.”

“I bet there is.” he said, and the two of them chuckled.

“Which does raise a good question.” he continued. “Why didn’t you raise me? From the dead I mean. The Enchantress was the one who put me in this armour.” he turned his helmet towards the pieces of armour lying on the ground outside, pieces of his former body. “A bit ironic you’d be putting me back in the ground after studying so hard to pull me out of it.”

Dr. Destiny sighed. She looked down at her work. Her circles were nearly complete and were already beginning to glow green. “You learn a lot about death in Necromancy School.”

“Duh.”

“Yeah… but I mean, you learn to detach yourself from death. Some schools of thought even teach that the dead aren’t really the spirits of the living, but copies of them, and there’s no point in trying to bring them back, because your real loved ones are gone forever.”

“Am I gone forever, Destiny? To you, I mean.” he asked.

Dr. Destiny went quiet. She avoided looking directly at the helmet, though she knew it didn’t really matter since his eyes weren’t actually there.

“What could’ve been between us. The relationship I wanted. It’s gone. By the time I was done with my degree, I realized that.”

“Maybe it’s the Phantom part of me talking, but I think we could’ve been a nice couple.”

“We could’ve.” she smiled.

“At least you got to tell me how you felt.”

“A few years too late.” she said as she was finishing up with her circle.

“Maybe. But you did it. You said what’s on your mind.” he responded. “You’re not a Phantom, Destiny. You don’t have to recede inward.”

Dr. Destiny paused. She sighed and chuckled one last time as she grabbed his helmet and put it on the ground by the tombstone, in the middle of the glowing circle. “That’s good advice.”

With that, Destiny began her spell, sending the patient trapped in the helmet back to the other side.

“Goodbye, Vena.” he said before disappearing from this realm.

“Goodbye, Johnny.”

The green light subsided, and the helmet ceased to move.


	3. Chapter 3

_A few years a ago, a Necromancer going by the name The Enchantress has raised an army of the dead and attempted to use it to take over the world._

_After her death, her army remained. No longer under her spell, the ghouls, zombies, skeletons, phantoms and ghosts started wandering the Earth aimlessly, looking for a purpose._

_Dr. Destiny, a graduate Necromancer, decided to take it upon herself to return as many of the undead as she can back to the other side where they came from, and grant them peace._

Vena Destiny sighed as she sunk back into her chair and stared at the ceiling. She glanced down at her desk, rolling her eyes at the mountains of paperwork. As it turns out, putting the dead back in the ground was much easier than legally changing their undead status. At least half of Dr. Destiny’s time was wasted on verifying death certificates, calling graveyards about their missing skeletons, and removing her patients from various ‘undead lists’ posted by paranoid small town sheriffs and lazy district officials.

She was just about done with today’s mound of papers when she heard a knock on her office door. She straightened her back and shuffled to a sitting position.

“Dr. Destiny? Hello?” she heard a feminine voice from the other side of the door.

“I am not available right now. Can you not read the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign?” she seemed more annoyed than surprised. “Unless you’re a Wraith and your entire existence is pain and dark desires, you’re gonna have to make an appointment like everybody else. And I would know if you were a wraith. Their screams are unbearable.”

“I’m not a Wraith, I’m sorry.” the woman opened the door to a crack. Dr. Destiny got a good look at her. Bright red hair in two pigtails, a t-shirt and tight jeans.

Vena shuffled awkwardly in her chair, and began tidying up the unsightly pile of paper on her desk. “Oh no, no, I’m sorry. Please do come in.” she coughed, trying to hide her slight blush. “What can I help you with?”

The woman walked inside, looking around the messy office. The carpet was crooked and the cabinets filled a variety of items were dusty. She was about the same age as Dr. Destiny, but a bit taller, and looked to be in much better shape. Vena couldn’t help but stare. As the woman sat down on the other side of her desk, she quickly averted her gaze and tried to look professional.

“Well, you’ll think it’s a bit silly…” the woman rubbed her forearm. “I’m Lilac, by the way.” Dr. Destiny noticed the antique-looking silver watch on her wrist.

“I’m not gonna think that.” Dr. Destiny said with a sweet voice. “I promise, Lilac.”

“Are you sure?” Lilac said as she sat down. “Because this is a really important matter.” 

“I’m sure. Say it.” Destiny leaned in.

“What do you know about the…” Lilac whispered. “…Enchantress conspiracies?”

Dr. Destiny giggled. “Which one? The ones about how she was a government agent? The one where it wasn’t a government agent who killed her? Or the one where she was from outer space?”

Lilac blushed and frowned. “I knew you would make fun of me.”

Destiny winced. “No, no… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it… please. What conspiracy are you talking about?”

“Okay…” Lilac took a deep breath and her voice became serious. “You probably heard of it. The Crystal Shards Hypothesis.”

As she heard the words, Dr. Destiny’s spine tingled. She intertwined her fingers and leaned her elbows against the desk. “I have heard of it. I don’t know if to believe it.”

“Do you trust the government, Dr. Destiny?” Lilac asked, leaning in as well.

Dr. Destiny gestured to the mountains of paperwork on her desk. “I have a complicated relationship with government, as you can see.”

“Do you believe their official story? It’s full of holes. They never showed The Enchantress’ body. Nor did they confirm her death with a third-party Necromancer. They didn’t even raise her soul for questioning, as far as we know. They just killed her and that’s it. How realistic do you think that is?”

“I don’t know how realistic it is, but it seems a lot more realistic than the Enchantress putting her soul in a crystal before death and then breaking it, and spreading the shards around the world.” Dr. Destiny said. “If I was the Enchantress and I somehow survived my assassination, I would’ve just go live on an island or something.”

“That’s what I thought too. Until I found this…” Lilac pulled something from her pocket, it was a crumpled envelope. “It’s a clue to the location of one of the shards.”

Dr. Destiny examined the envelope. She opened it and began reading it. It was written in very archaic language, but the ink paper was modern. “Do you know who wrote this?”

“Look at the sigil.” Lilac pointed at the signature in the bottom of the paper. “It’s an order from one of her generals. The Ink Baroness.”

“Yes. I see. How do we know if it’s the real thing?” Dr. Destiny examined the paper up and down.

“Does that mean you believe me?” Lilac smiled enthusiastically, a positive change from the gloomy and serious mood she was in earlier.

“I’m considering it.” Dr. Destiny said. “Listen, if we’re going to do this, we need to do it properly.” she explained. “There’s a method to this. When a spirit is possessing an object, you can’t just pull it out of there or trap it. You need to verify three things first.”

“Presence. Identity. And intent. I know.” Lilac responded.

“If you use the wrong spell on the spirit, you could end up being badly hurt.” Dr. Destiny continued.

“Well, I think once we find the shard we could verify presence using a simple detection spell. We could then question the Ink Baroness about the identity and intent.” Lilac smiled cockily.

“You’re very knowledgeable. I like it.” Dr. Destiny smiled, blushing a little. “You know what? I think we can do it.”

“Yes!” Lilac raised her arm excitedly. “How do we start?”

“Unfortunately, with paperwork.” Dr. Destiny sighed as she pulled a few papers out of her drawer. “This is a standard expedition contract. I think it should be enough for now. We’ll hash out more details on our next meeting.” she said as she handed Lilac the hefty stack of paper.

Lilac started humming as she looked over the contract and signed her name at the bottom. She smiled as she handed the signed contract back.

“Great.” Dr. Destiny smiled before her smile faded. “Now, one last question.” her voice became serious. “Why me?”

“Well, to be honest…” Lilac blushed. “You were my first choice.” she smiled shyly. “I just thought you’d be the right person to help me find the Enchantress Shards.”

“Thank you.” Dr. Destiny said as she straightened her papers. “That’s all I needed.”

And with that, Dr. Destiny shot her arm forward and a glowing green light burst from the open palm of her hand, aimed directly at Lilac’s chest. Vena didn’t bat an eyelid as the burst of green energy penetrated through Lilac’s chest and went out through the other side, pulling a pale ghostly figure out with it.

The ghostly figure screamed, her dark echoes filling the room, rattling objects, and making colors disappear. Meanwhile, Lilac’s eyes closed and her now motionless body slumped forward in her chair before Destiny caught her.

“How did you know?! How?!” the ghostly figure snared at Destiny, her long white hairs wriggling like snakes, her tattered ethereal gown blowing in the wind.

“When you entered, I already knew you were present.” Destiny gestured towards her door. “My ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign has spirit detection magic that alerts me when a spirit enters my office.” Dr. Destiny smiled smugly. “Then you were stupid enough to give me your identity.” she showed the spirit two pieces of paper, the Baroness’ letter, and the contract. Both of them had identical handwriting. “And then you professed to me your intent.”

The Baroness screamed in agony again, Dr. Destiny’s spell binding and crawling around her like rope of green light.

“Presence. Identity. Intent. You said so yourself.” Dr. Destiny grabbed Lilac’s wrist, removing the antique watch from her hand. “This used to belong to you, I presume, when you were still alive. Nostalgic, perhaps? Seems like a fitting place to put your soul as any.” she raised up the watch and closed her eyes. The green ropes started pulling on the Baroness, dragging her down into the watch.

“No! You shall not! I shall return! She shall return!” the Baroness screamed, her voice fading away as she was sucked into the antique watch. The colors returned to the room.

Dr. Destiny walked up and put the watch inside her cabinet, alongside other possessed and mystical items. She turned her head as she saw movement from the desk. Lilac was waking up.

“Hey. I’m sorry she did this to you.” Vena said frowning.

“She was… whispering, such awful things in my ears. Making me do what she wanted… it was horrible.” Lilac said, rubbing her head and her wrist.

“Yeah. Those Enchantress types aren’t a very courteous bunch.”

“No kidding.” Lilac chuckled. “I’m sorry I made you go through this.”

“Nonsense. Hey listen, if you really wanna make it up to me, maybe go for a coffee later?”

Lilac blushed as she moved her red hair out of her eyes. “I’d like that.”


	4. Chapter 4

_A long time ago, a young boy was playing with his mother by the lake._  
But while she wasn’t looking, they boy was gone. She searched for him for days until she found his body washed up on the shore.  
Stricken with grief, his mother would do everything to get her child back. She learned the dark arts and summoned him back from the dead.  
But when her boy was back, she was repulsed by him. He had transformed into a monster of weeds and moss.  
She cast him out, exiling him. With nowhere left to go, the boy returned to the lake from which his body came.  
Saddened and alone, the boy cried, and his tears woke up the spirit of the lake. She felt sorry for the boy and guilty for causing his death, so she allowed him to live with her, caring for him and nurturing him like his mother wouldn’t.  
One day, after years of living in the bottom of the lake, the boy was crying again.  
“What’s wrong, my child?” asked the lake spirit.  
“I was watching the people play in the lake above. All of my friends have grown up, found love, and had kids of their own. And I am still a boy.”  
“Worry not, my child. For you will grow.” the spirit blessed her child with a song.  
As more years went by, the child grew and grew, until his body was the size of an island and his head was tall enough to see above the water.  
_And from where he sat he could watch all of the people play._

”That’s a beautiful story.” Lilac said as she leaned in closer to read the old inscription on the sign. A warm breeze blowed from the lake left and brushed through her ginger hair.

“It’s probably just a story. And even if there is a kernel of truth to it, it’s probably not nearly as beautiful.” Dr. Destiny said. She was holding onto Lilac’s hand and looking up at the wooden sign. Above the inscription was an old illustration etched into the wood, an island with a face peeking above the water, with a wide warm smile looking directly at the viewer. Above that was the title of the sign: “The Story of Benagam Island”

Lilac turned towards her date. She was wearing a pair of tiny blue shorts and a red t-shirt. “And what is the kernel of truth?” she asked with a bit of whimper in her voice that Vena recognized from their first meeting a few weeks back.

Dr. Destiny sighed. “It’s just a theory, but most scholars agree that prehistoric necromancy was a very shady profession. Most medicine back then was superstitious, and people saw necromancers as the opposite to their witch doctors.” she explained, delving a bit into the history of her profession as she and Lilac walked hand in hand.

Vena was wearing a simple green sundress, with a brown branches pattern on the hem and a bit of brighter green lace around her collar. “Most likely the boy was a slave of some tribe, and once he grew too sick to be useful they sold him to necromancers who experimented on him.” as she said that, Lilac’s face contorted in horror.

“They ritualistically killed him, gutted him, and then resurrected him as soon as they could, probably with a bunch of superstitious spells they didn’t understand.” she kept on talking, not noticing her date’s distress. “You’d be surprised, but the most horrifying thing they did is actually the resurrection. They did it far too early.”

“W-why is that?” Lilac stopped. She avoided eye contact with Dr. Destiny and stared towards the lake where the island was. It looked just like it does on the sign, though with a little less vegetation. She smiled softly, her spirits lifted.

“It has to do with a person’s attachment to either world-” Dr. Destiny continued her explanation but was interrupted when her taller companion put a hand cheek and turned her head to face towards the lake.

“You know what, never mind. Whatever happened to him, I’m glad he’s watching the people of the lake right now.” she gestured towards the curve of one of the small valleys on the island, which looked a little like a mouth. “Smiling at us.”

Lilac smiled down at Vena, and she smiled back, a bit of blush on her face.

After a short walk through the coast they decided to have lunch at a humble tourist trap, a wooden restaurant with a perch watching over the lake. Vena ordered some fries while Lilac simply drank from a bottle full of orange sports drink she brought from home.

Vena looked up at her date, her hands were fidgeting with a fry nervously, turning it into potato mush. She put it down on the plate and opened her mouth. But Lilac beat her to the punch.

“Even from this angle, it looks like the island is smiling at us.” she said, her eyes pointed at the lake. It was the hottest hour of the day, and more and more people were swimming around in the water, splashing about or riding in boats on the far end of the lake behind the island, near the cliffs and waterfall.

“You really connected to this story, huh?” Dr. Destiny asked as she watched the island as well. “The idea of a new life after unlife. That there’s a continuation after a brush with necromancy. The notion that you’re not tainted with death forever.”

Lilac frowned, her eyes staring down at the table. She grabbed the mush that used to be Vena’s fries. “What did the poor fry do to you?” Lilac giggled, and then laughed out loud. She started reshaping it, pushing back its insides and removing the extra bits until it resembled its original shape once again. “There, I brought it back from the dead.”

Dr. Destiny stared at the fry and burst out laughing, she held her stomach and leaned down, resting her elbows on the table. “Lilac, thank you for taking me here.” she said.

Lilac smiled in turn and put her hand on Vena’s forearm. She leaned in and looked closer at her. Vena swallowed and leaned in as well. Slowly at first. As Lilac’s grip on her arm tightened, she felt her heart race.

Their intimate moment was cut short when a loud high-pitch sound was heard throughout the entire lake area, an alarm. It was followed by an announcer urging the people to exit the lake immediately. Dr. Destiny got up, pulling her arm away from Lilac’s hand, who was grabbing onto thin air for a moment before the redhead retracted her arm and got up as well.

“What do you think it is?” Lilac asked as the people began to leave the lake in a hurry. Some people were looking up, and the two woman did the same to see what was going on.

Up above the lake, on the edge of the cliff by the top of the waterfall, stood a slender and tall figure. Much too tall to be human. Their stature and dimensions were clear even from this distance, and Dr. Destiny estimated their size must’ve been over 20 meters tall.

Dr. Destiny rushed off the perch and onto the coast, walking around and rubbing against the tourists and locals and towards a small dock where people just getting off a boarded boat. A woman in a blue one-piece swimsuit stopped her in her track.

Lilac dropped the fry and went off after her date who left without saying a word. “What’s going on?” she asked, a bit of anger in her voice as her pitch turned higher.

“Lilac, my badge is in your bag, can you get it for me?” Dr. Destiny said, her arm outstretched.

Lilac took off her backpack and started rummaging through it, all the while she alternated between looking at Vena and looking at the slender silhouette up on the cliff. She handed Dr. Destiny her badge, a small silver rectangle adorned with an ornate jellyfish imprint and branded with Vena Destiny’s name.

“Thank you.” Dr. Destiny showed the guard the brand, which mostly confused her at first. “I’m a necromancer, and the thing up there is definitely undead.” she pointed to the silhouette, who all that time remained unmoving. The guard sighed and let the two go as she moved on to tend to other people.

“I’m coming with.” Lilac said as she followed Vena, her steps much bigger than the shorter and catching up to her easily. “Don’t try to stop me.”

“I wasn’t going to.” Dr. Destiny replied, briefly making eye contact with Lilac before focusing her eyes on the target, a small boat that was parked by the empty dock. “But you have to understand what we’re dealing with. This thing is very dangerous.”

“So was the Ink Baroness.” Lilac said confidently, as though she had memorized the answer beforehand.

“This is different. I’m not going to be able to send it away or trap it somewhere. We’re gonna have to reason with it.” Dr. Destiny jumped onto the boat and Lilac followed suit, her legs getting caught up on the entry a bit before she straightened herself.

The boat’s navigation system was simple. You pointed to a region of the lake you wanted to go and the magnetic guided vehicle would take you there. Dr. Destiny pointed at a spot 3/4th of the way towards the cliffs, a bit east of the island in the center of the lake.

As the boat started going slowly, Dr. Destiny tensed up and started preparing her spells. Her hands were glowing green as she drew runes and lines on her palm and the back of her hand.

“Vena…” she heard Lilac say. She turned around to face her after a minute of silence. They were alone on the lake, the people on the shore watching her and the silhouette with anticipation. “What is it?”

“It’s a Wandering Deity.” Dr. Destiny said, her voice going quiet, barely audible with the boat’s engine. “It’s what happens when the boy from the story doesn’t find a new home.”

As the two looked up, they saw the slender figure kneel, bending its knees forward. “D-does it see us?” Lilac asked. and then she got her answer, as the figure jumped into the air and dove down.

Screams and gasps were heard from the captive audience at the shore as the figure fell down the tall cliff. Dr. Destiny started shuffling quickly, trying to turn the boat around. But she couldn’t do so in time as the figure landed on the water.

The splash it caused was enormous, making lakewater rain down on Destiny and Lilac, but the wave it caused was even bigger, and they were right near its epicenter. The water rocked the boat up, raising it and then crashing it down on the now unquiet water. Dr. Destiny and Lilac held on as much as they could, trying to pull their weight back to stabilize the boat and prevent it from flipping over.

They were both on the floor, coughing up water and trying to get their bearings. Vena was still coughing and wheezing as Lilac was the first to look up to see the thing that just jumped into the lake.

They were less than ten meters away from it. And though they were in the deepest part of the lake, the creature that was standing up still towered over five meters above the surface, much taller than their boat.

“Vena, look…” Lilac said, her voice sounding different to Dr. Destiny, more alive but also less powerful. Like a quiet whisper that carried more meaning than the words it spoke.

Dr. Destiny climbed back to her feet and saw what she was afraid of. A creature made of bone and black ligaments. It had a humanoid shape, but its proportions seemed stretched and unnatural. Its face looked like a white mask resembling a skull that was built on top of a black cluster of wires and veins. It didn’t have any mouth, but its eyes glowed like fireflies inside massive eye sockets in its mask-like face. Its body was skinny and bony, but didn’t have much of actual bone, being mostly made from the same black ligament as its head, with a few plates of bone covering its chest and shoulders. The rest of the creature was underwater, surrounded by the bubbles and waves its landing created.

The creature was staring at them, just for a second. But it didn’t seem like it could actually see them. Its eyes seemed more interested in the water under the boat than the people inside it. After that, it turned its head towards the island.

“Elder One!” Dr. Destiny wasted no time in calling the creature. But it ignored her. It turned on its heel and started walking. Its body glided through the water like it wasn’t even there, walking slowly but surely towards the center of the lake. Its stare was aimed at the island in the center of the lake.

“Does it even speak our language?” Lilac asked, her voice back to its chattering and trembling infliction. Despite the heat, she was visibly shaking.

“No, but it was worth a shot.” Dr. Destiny said, her tone very serious and not matching what she said. She looked down and wiped the water off the boat’s navigation screen with the hem of her dress. “Please work…” she whispered to nobody in particular as she navigated the boat as close to the island as she could. She took the lever controlling the boat’s speed and pulled it back to a slower setting.

“What are you doing? Don’t we want to get to the island first?” Lilac asked, her hand on the level. Dr. Destiny swatted her hand away and glared at her.

“I’m sorry. It’s just…” Vena said. “We don’t want to beat it, I want to get close to it. To speak to it.”

“Okay… I don’t understand, but…”

“I’ll tell you.” Dr. Destiny said, her face serious but also showing off warmth. Lilac raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

“The reason you’re not supposed to raise the dead too early… well, raising the dead is unadvisable in general. But the reason why you’re not supposed to raise them too early is because of attachment to our world.” Dr. Destiny explained as the boat was beginning to catch up with the creature, but it was lagging behind.

Lilac grabbed on the lever, pushing it forward to speed up the boat. Dr. Destiny nodded.

“Imagine you’re forced to move to another town. You barely know anybody there, and it’s big and scary and you miss your friends. And then somebody offers you the chance to go back home and even takes you back there.” Dr. Destiny stood up on the chair of the boat, trying to be tall enough and be noticed by the Wandering Deity.

“Once you’re back here, you’re gonna hold on to your place here as hard as you can. You’re never gonna let go.” Dr. Destiny continued.

“Like the boy.” Lilac responded.

“Exactly. You’re gonna root yourself in this world. Because now you’re here to stay.” the boat matched speed with the Deity, which was halfway towards the island.

“That’s why you called it an Elder One? Because it’s been here a long time?”

“Yes. Over 10,000 years, probably.” Dr. Destiny began to lose balance. But the creature finally noticed her.

It turned its head towards her stared at her with its glowing eyes.

“This thing has a much deeper connection to the world of the living than even you and I. And even if I could send it back, it’s only gonna cause trouble on the other side.” Dr. Destiny looked down at Lilac, who now looked at her with awe in her eyes.

She turned her head to face the creature, which stopped in its track to stare at her. Lilac pulled the lever all the way back and made the boat stop as well. “We’re gonna have to face it right here. Like we do with everything else in life.”

The back of Dr. Destiny’s palm glowed green as she extended it forward. The creature glared down at the hand, and then shrieked. Its wirey body contorted to make a horrible noise. It turned back towards the island and continued walking.

Dr. Destiny pointed at Lilac who obliged and pushed the lever forward, making the boat move ahead of the creature, blocking its path. She faced the creature again, this time stepping onto the front of the boat, trying to keep her balance as she continued extending her hand.

The creature raised its own hand up and its eyes turned red. Its arm moved more like a noodly tentacle with a sharp bony end than like a human arm. It swung its tentacle down towards the boat.

Lilac shrieked, covering her face with her hands, but Dr. Destiny didn’t fret. She moved her hand up and down in a whipping motion. As she did that, an extension of the light on her hand formed a whip and she cracked it against the creature, making it recoil and scream again.

She retracted her whip and extended her hand one last time. From the distant shore she seemed brave, but Lilac could see up close how Vena was shaking just as much as her.

Reluctantly, the Wandering Deity raised its other hand, which looked a lot more human, with bony fingers and black joints, and reached forward. It touched its index finger against Dr. Destiny’s open palm, and she grabbed onto it. She closed her eyes and began to hum.

The creature recoiled a bit as the green light from her hand started climbing up its veins, but Dr. Destiny didn’t let go until it calmed down. Her hum became louder as she suddenly opened her eyes. Lilac was startled, almost screaming as she saw Vena’s eyes transform into the same black void with firefly points of light, like the creature.

“Elder One, though your original form has been lost to time, and I dare not try to understand your current form, I am opening this channel so we may communicate, soul to soul. Please, allow me access.” Dr. Destiny spoke, her voice commanding, with a little echo, like she was talking inside a closed chamber.

Dr. Destiny was shaking, her eyes trembling in fear as she stared up at the creature’s vacant face. The Wandering Deity didn’t respond. It just stood in the water, waiting.

“I know your realm has been claimed by cities and farms. And I know your worshippers forgotten you. But we have not. You have suffered enough, Elder One, do not let the cycle of violence continue. Leave this island alone. And trust that as you wander the wastes, our thoughts will always be with you. Your sacrifice has not been for naught. Our lives are owed to what you shown our ancestors.” she continued talking.

The Wandering Deity made a new sound, somewhere between a cymbal and hum. It retracted its finger and closed its hand. As it did, it turned around and started walking back towards the cliff. Dr. Destiny, Lilac and the entire lake remained frozen as they watched the creature climbing its way up the cliff and disappear into the tall woods beyond.

Dr. Destiny sighed in relief and then shrieked as she nearly fell down the slippery surface. She held onto Lilac’s hand, who helped pull her back into the boat, where they sat side by side.

Lilac reached down and grabbed Vena’s hand, holding onto it tight. The trembling slowly subsided as Dr. Destiny sighed and wheezed.

“So, how did you know how to make it go away?” Lilac asked one last question.

“I sort of winged it.” Vena said. The two of them laughed out loud until they ran out of breath.

As they were laughing, Lilac turned to the left to look at the island, now very close to them. And for a second, she could swear she saw it move, and smile at the two of them, as though to thank them.


	5. Chapter 5

Lilac looked up into the darkening sky. The summer sun has gone below the horizon, leaving the world in shadow and darkness. This darkness was all the more obvious in the gloomy driveway of the even gloomier Lastegar Manor, the home of the talented necromancer Vena Destiny, Lilac’s sort-of girlfriend. The manor was old and had a heavy atmosphere to its blackened windows, old gardens, archaic architecture and the small forest in the enormous backyard, which Lilac suspected was older than the manor itself.

The red headed woman put on her jacket, a fancy and dainty lavender thing, as she approached the double doors. The wooden doors were old but sturdy, and their size was frightening.

The last time she was in this manor, she was under the control of a vicious wraith. This was the first time visiting Vena’s house as herself, she realized.

She looked for a doorbell, but she couldn’t find it, she raised her hand to knock on the door instead. Before her knuckles touched the wood, she heard a loud blunt sound coming the other side of the door. It took her a few seconds to realize the source of the loud knock was the blade of a large sword being lodged in the wood, its sharp point peeking through the other end.

Lilac shrieked and backed off immediately, a shudder in her step. She walked backwards a few more steps, and shrieked again as she nearly fell down the stairs leading up to the front door. She stared at the doorway frozen, her limbs refusing to obey her. It felt all too familiar.

With a slow and elongated creak, the doors opened, orange and purple and green light poured from them onto the grey cobblestone entryway. On the other side of the doorway stood a tall figure. Lilac’s eyes opened wide as she took in the frightening height of the figure which towered over 2 meters tall. She gasped when she realized it had no head. 

The dance of colored lights was coming from behind the shadowy figure, a swirl of shapes and sparks. It looked very familiar. The headless figure jerked and shook around with each swirl of light that seemed to hit it directly in the chest. Lilac kept staring, motionless.

Eventually, the lights subsided, and the doorway was filled with the more natural light of florescent lightbulbs coming from the large entrance hall of the manor. The tall headless figure was revealed to be a suit of armour. It faced away from Lilac and she could see several bullet holes in its back, going all the way through the armour, which was hollow on the inside.

With a metallic creak, the armour fell backwards in a slow stiff movement, as though it was frozen in the last pose it took. A large booming sound emanated from the armour as it crashed into its individual plates upon hitting the floor. The armour pieces rolled around on the cobblestone for a bit before stopping. The armour’s left gauntlet ended up rolling right by of Lilac’s feet.

Behind the fallen armour, standing in the doorway, was a short woman with neon green light pouring out of her open palms. She was wearing faded jeans and a green button shirt. The left pant of her jeans was halfway tore across below the knee, and slumped down to her ankle.

“Hello, I’m glad you could make it!” Vena said as she stepped over the fallen armour pieces. She looked at her red-haired guest in the eyes. Lilac was still trembling a bit. Vena looked back at the door with the sword tip sticking out of it. “Glad I could make it too. That was intense.” she giggled, and then frowned as Lilac didn’t smile with her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect this to happen.” Dr. Destiny started picking up the pieces. “Just give me 5 minutes and I’ll be ready for dinner.”

She reached towards the gauntlet that fell by Lilac’s foot, but was stopped when Lilac leaned down and picked it up instead. She was smiling, and Vena smiled with her. As they walked through the door with the armour pieces in hand, Dr. Destiny snuck in a sigh of relief.

After the armour was piled up by the doorway inside with its sword still lodged in the wooden door, the two women left the entrance hall and walked towards the dining room. It was a large room, befitting of a mansion of such proportions, but most of it was dark.

“I’m sorry about this. I tried to organize it to the best of my ability. I don’t exactly have the entire room furnished.” Vena led Lilac towards the corner of a large table. Only part of which was clean and covered by a white tablecloth. Upon the cloth were two plates on opposite sides, and a variety of food items in plates, bowls and containers in between them. At the center between the plates was an old candelabra with three black candles on it, whose orange glow helped make up for the limited light in the room.

“There’s no need to feel sorry. I’m the one who should be sorry. There’s really no need for you to do all of this for me.” Lilac said, her voice a bit weak.

Vena quiet for a few long seconds before she spoke. “Are you okay?” she pulled Lilac’s chair back.

“Yeah.” Lilac sat down in front of her plate, which was old and withered with use, but still clean and pristine. Upon closer inspection of the table, some of the food items on it were clearly microwaved, and some of the containers were plastic.

Vena pulled back her own chair and sat down with a creak. She chuckled. “This chair is very old.” she joked.

“Yeah…” Lilac said as she inspected a pink salmon fillet from up close, poking it with her fork. “So…” she trailed off.

“Yeah…” Vena tapped her fork against the table, making tiny divots in the tablecloth as she did.

“I…” Lilac started talking, but was interrupted.

“I was doing it for us.” Vena said. “I’m sorry, I just thought…”

“No, I get it.”

“It’s not just for you, it’s for us… this thing between us. Whatever you call it.” Vena looked at her companion’s eyes lit up by the black candle.

“You like it, what we had, for the last few weeks?” Lilac’s pupils reflected the light which glimmered and flickered with the slight breeze coming in from the garden. It carried with it pleasant scents.

“A lot.”

“Why though?” Lilac asked. As she did, the wind put out one of the three black candles, leaving behind a trail of smoke and a blackened wick.

“Huh?”

“Why do you like me? I have brought you nothing but misery.”

“What are you talking about? The last weeks were wonderful. I enjoyed spending time with you. I haven’t spent so much time with anybody since well… not anybody alive, at least.” Vena forced a smile.

“Last week at the lake, I brought you into someplace dangerous.”

“You had no idea it would be visited by an Elder One. You didn’t even know they existed.”

“No, but I brought you there because I hoped maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

“And now tonight, I wanted to see you in your home because of the same hope. Or fear, or whatever…” Lilac averted her gate, not looking directly at Vena.

“I mean, I do have a big house.” Vena tried joking again. The two remaining candles grew brighter. “You’ve been here 1.5 times, you should know.

Lilac chuckled.

Vena smiled, leaning in. “Whatever it is you hoped to achieve, it succeeded. Because I want to stay with you. I want to be with you.”

“Yeah, I mean. About that… that first time in your house. In here.” Lilac looked at the hall outside of the dining room, which she knew lead to Dr. Destiny’s office. “When I entered…. when the Ink Baroness entered your office, I saw this look on your face.” Lilac explained.

“You were aware of that?” Dr. Destiny leaned back, her fingers intertwined.

“Barely. I could only notice what she noticed, and my thoughts were filled with her whispers and shit. But I did notice the look. Your face when you saw something. Something that could alleviate your boredom.”

“That’s…” Vena wanted to interrupt, but was interrupted herself.

“It’s okay, I understood. It was a long day and in comes a possessed woman who needs saving. I got that.” Lilac continued. “But on our date at the lake, I saw the same look when the thing showed up. Something interesting happening on a boring date.”

“No, Lilac…” Vena’s hand clenched a bit.

“I thought maybe that’s why you liked me.” Lilac said. “Because I’m a distraction, I make interesting stuff happen around you. That’s why I brought you over to the lake, and why I wanted to go to your house. I hoped things would pop up. And they did, and I saw the same look again.”

“You couldn’t have known that either.” Dr. Destiny finally managed to slip a word in. “I… listen. This look. It’s not that. This look isn’t excitement or relief. It’s worry. Elder Ones, and Wraiths, and Vengeful Spirits, they’re part of my daily routine. But usually I do it alone. And they pop up around me when I have nobody else. But now, I have you. And I’m worried about you.”

Lilac froze, a tear hung near her eye. “So when you first saw me at your office-”

“I was worried sick for you. I wanted to help you. Because well… because I like you. I like Lilac.”

Lilac sat still, quiet and full of thought. After a long and awkward silence, she sighed in relief. “Let’s eat.”

The two began putting on food on their table. Vena explained how she worked hard on each item on the table, from the salad to the fish she had to look up where to buy and how to cook. She conveniently opted not to talk about the microwaved fries and couscous or the clearly store-bought burgers.

“So, how was your day? I hope you didn’t have to face against Vengeful Spirits like I did.”

“I did have to pick them up from the floor of some kooky lady’s weird house.” Lilac responded and the two laughed out loud.

After a while, the conversation quieted down. Vena put her fork down. “You know the first thing I thought when I saw you?” she blushed, her voice trembling a bit as she tried to be romantic.

“How I can banish this creepy ghost from his hot girl’s body?” Lilac joked again with her mouth full of fries.

Vena chuckled. “Yeah, but no, I mean… The real you, when you woke up after I got rid of the Wraith. I really wanted to take you out for coffee.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“You know why?”

“Because you pitied me.” Lilac said, and with her words, another candle was put out. Only the middle out of the three candles remained.

“What?” Vena responded immediately and her blush went away.

“You saw a girl being used by an evil ghost and you saved her, and you did the right thing and helped her through it.” Lilac continued. “Like a firefighter giving somebody blankets.”

“Lilac, you’re being difficult tonight.” Vena frowned, her brow a bit furrowed. “I wanted us to have a nice evening and…”

“Well then, the salmon is a bit chewy in that case.”

“I…” Vena was left without words again. She puffed her cheeks, a bit angry. She took a deep breath and sighed. “Let’s settle this like adults.”

“This thing between us, you said you liked it.” Lilac said.

“I do. A lot.”

“Yeah, you said that already.”

“Because I mean it.

“But now I know you didn’t mean you liked me.”

“I do like you.”

“Yeah, but that came afterwards. First you like being the hero. Then you like the girl you saved. And you wanted to be her hero some more.”

“Is it wrong to want to protect those who you care about?!” Dr. Destiny lashed out. She stood up and froze. She took another deep breath and then sat down. “I’m sorry.”

“About what you said or about screaming it?”

“Both? I think.”

“I don’t think you understand what you said.”

“If it’s about being a hero, I know a lot more about it than you do, Lilac.” Dr. Destiny continued, her voice growing huskier, her stare growing distant. “And it’s not something I crave to do ever again.”

“It’s about being in a relationship. I thought the problem with the relationship was with me, that I wasn’t good enough for what was between us.”

“And I told you you are.”

“Yes…” Lilac trailed off, trying to find the words. “Thank you for that, I mean it. And I’m sorry I thought you pitied me, I know your feelings are more complicated than that. But it’s not you.”

“Are you seriously pulling that cliche? It’s not me it’s you?”

“It’s not me either…”

“Then what is it?” Vena became frustrated. None of them touched their food in a while.

“It’s this thing between us.” and as she said that, the thing between them was a knight’s sword.

Lilac screamed, and Dr. Destiny stared at the door to the hallway, where a peculiar object was approaching the two of them fast, it was a single left-handed gauntlet from a knight’s armour.

Without more than a meaningful stare, Vena and Lilac ducked under the table as gauntlet rushed towards them and struck the table. From below it they could see the tip of the sword cut through the table completely.

“Why is all of the wood in this house so sword-prone?” Lilac whispered.

Dr. Destiny ignored her, looking up at the gauntlet which was floating above them. “The tablecloth!” she yelled. “Now!”

Following her companion’s actions, Lilac grabbed a corner of the tablecloth from underneath and stepped out from under the table in unison with Dr. Destiny. In a coordinated move, they crossed paths behind the gauntlet which turned to face Lilac. With a strong pull, they tried the tablecloth around the gauntlet, pinning it to the table.

It squirmed and rustled inside of it, breaking container and spilling food as Lilac and Dr. Destiny stepped back. Lilac stared at the supernatural wriggling while De. Destiny was already preparing her magic, making her hands glow green.

“So, Vengeful Spirits, what are they?” Lilac asked with breathless words

“You were paying attention.”

“Of course, now speak.”

“When an object that isn’t supposed to have a soul suddenly gains one due to Necromancy, it is slowly imbued with magic. Magic that desires to stay alive. It’s similar to what our body uses to stay alive. But instead of life magic-” Dr. Destiny prepared her magic further, more complex circles and runes appeared on the back of her hands.

“It’s Necromancy.”

“Precisely. This suit of armour of was imbued with a spirit, a Phantom, for a very long time. A few weeks ago, before I met you, I sent that phantom back to the realm of the dead. But the magic remained in the armour, and it sought to regain the life I took from it, so it grew a soul.” Dr. Destiny finished her circles, she was approaching the wriggling tablecloth with arms raised.

“And that armour’s new soul resents you for taking its original phantom soul away?” Lilac 

“That’s why they call them Vengeful.”

As Dr. Destiny approached the wriggling mass on the table, she suddenly had to jump out as something emerged out of the tablecloth with great force, tearing the knot down the middle.

The gauntlet emerged from the table, holding its sword and floating a meter and a half above the floor. It swung its sword around a few little spins, and purple light came out from below the wrist.

“Looks like I missed a spot earlier.” Dr. Destiny taunted the gauntlet, her hands still raised, but shaking. Lilac saw the same familiar look in her eyes.

The floating gauntlet raised its sword against Vena, about to slice her down with a quick and powerful slash. But mid-air, it was stopped by something. The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed through the old dining room.

Between Dr. Destiny and the gauntlet stood Lilac, holding in both of her shaking hands the candelabra with the three black candles. Which now held only two and a half candles, as the knight’s sword cut the rightmost candle in half. Despite all that, the middle candle remained lit.

“It’s a knight’s armour, right? Shouldn’t it be governed by the knights’ code?” Lilac said, feigning confidence she didn’t have.

“This is risky, Lilac. You don’t know how this thing works.” Dr. Destiny recoiled back.

Lilac pulled the candelabra back, and surprisingly, the knight’s gauntlet pulled its sword back as well.

“I am Vena Destiny’s champion. To get her, you would have to defeat me.” Lilac gulped nervously. She looked around, but the only viable weapon was the candelabra.

After a long and nervous minute, the gauntlet tilted forward and then back, as if to nod. And then, without much hesitation, it struck.

Though she screamed, Lilac raised the candelabra again above her hand and managed to block the strike, though with the loss of the rightmost candle, which was slice in half. The middle candle remained lit and whole.

With quick moves the knight’s gauntlet pulled its sword back and just as quickly struck down again, only for Lilac to block it again, this time with the side of the candle holder.

The battle went on for a few more strikes like that. Each time Lilac managed to block the gauntlet’s speedy swipes, she got better at it. And Dr. Destiny only got more nervous as she watched from the sidelines, not knowing what to make of it.

Lilac managed to block the tenth strike, and then the eleventh, but then she noticed something funny. Every time the sword struck between the candelabra’s arms, the gauntlet struggled a bit to pull it out. When the twelfth strike came, Lilac intentionally lodge the sword between two arms of the candelabra and then twisted them.

The gauntlet didn’t let go of the sword like she hoped, it was now stuck. It was a contest of strength between the two of them. Which was the one thing Lilac had on the faster and more skilful gauntlet. She was larger and heavier than it, and she had the support from the ground.

With ease, Lilac pulled the candelabra sideway and pulled the sword and the gauntlet with it. With all her force, she spun around, spinning the much lighter gauntlet in an arc. She spun thrice until she started feeling dizzy and then she suddenly stopped, letting all of the momentum travel onto the gauntlet, which was launched outwards, separated from its sword which landed somewhere else on the floor.

With the gauntlet nearly motionless on the floor, Dr. Destiny stepped over it, her glowing hand aimed towards it.

“Wait…” Lilac whispered, exhausted. “It lost, there’s no need to…” she dragged herself over to Vena.

“It’s a spirit bent on destroying me.”

“But it’s got a code. It’s got honor. It didn’t destroy you, it agreed to a duel. And it lost.” Lilac looked down at it. “Isn’t that right?”

Floating back up to knee height, much to Dr. Destiny’s dislike, the gauntlet nodded again.

Dr. Destiny still pointed her arm at it. But after a long thought, she put it down. “Head to my office, I’ll deal with you later.” She pointed towards the door. “Go, you know where it is.” she commanded and the gauntlet nodded again and did as instructed.

After the battle was won, Vena and Lilac sat down by the table again, though all of the food was destroyed and it had a giant hole inside of it. Lilac put the candelabra down, its last light still flickering.

“Vena…” she said.

“What is it?”

“I don’t want to be your girlfriend.” and with that, the last light died, leaving them both in darkness.

“I know.” Vena said, her head looking up. Her voice was quiet and her eyes teary.

“This thing between us. It’s not a good foundation for a relationship. It’s an imbalance. You got the power, the knowledge, you saved my life. And I owe you. But I can’t be in that kind of relationship with you if you’ll always look at me as a person under your protection, under your care. Even if it’s the most meaningful thing, you still view me as beneath you, without even realizing it.”

“I realize it now.” Vena said, her pained expression replaced with a more somber one.

“But you know, there is something good that can come out of that kind of dynamic.” Lilac smiled, but she didn’t blush.

Vena lowered her head and looked at Lilac questionably.

Lilac cleared her throat and looked at Dr. Destiny with a serious yet adorable determination on her face. “I want to be your apprentice.”


End file.
